A family of Afroasiatic languages indigenous to North Africa — collectively called Amazigh — with official status in Morocco and Algeria.
Where it’s spoken
Berber (Tamazight, ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ) refers to a cluster of related languages spoken across the Maghreb. Major varieties include Tashelhit, Central Atlas Tamazight, and Tarifit (Riffian) in Morocco; Kabyle, Chaouia, and Mzab in Algeria; Tuareg across the Sahara; and smaller communities in Libya and Egypt’s Siwa oasis. Morocco recognized Tamazight as an official language in 2011, Algeria in 2016.
What it sounds like
Berber languages feature the Semitic-style triconsonantal root system shared across Afroasiatic. They have rich consonant inventories including emphatic and labialized consonants, geminates, and a small vowel system (typically three vowels: a, i, u, with schwa).
How it’s written
The traditional Berber script is Tifinagh — an indigenous abjad with origins in the ancient Libyan script of antiquity. It was revived and standardized as Neo-Tifinagh in 2003. Berber is also written in Latin (especially in Algerian Kabyle) and Arabic scripts.
History
Berber languages have been spoken in North Africa since at least the second millennium BCE, predating Arab arrival in the 7th century. The Amazigh cultural revival of recent decades has restored Berber identity politically and linguistically.
Find more languages by letter
Berber (Tamazight) starts with B and ends with T. Browse other languages along the same letter.
Languages that contain a letter from "Berber (Tamazight)":